This is a 12 Week Intermediate training plan to prepare athletes for the Olympic (International) Distance Triathlon

This plan is for the triathlete who has 1-2 years of experience competing in Sprint & Olympic Distances, Has some familiarity with utilizing interval training in their race preparation and has an average of 8-10 hours per week to train.

Plan features•All workout times are given in duration for bike & run, and distance for swim•Swims included suggested skill focuses for every practice•Balanced training for endurance, speed & skill in all disciplines•Brick and transition runs are included•Brick Repeat workouts are included

Benefits•Plan your training more easily regardless of your pace •Prepare for race paced running off the bike•Get adequate Transition practice for race day confidence•Plan ahead with your job/spouse/friends for long training days

Sample Day 1

0:40:00

1554m

Swim Form A

WARMUP (300)3 Rounds of 4 x 25Round 1 (R1): Focus on a relaxed head, looking down at the bottom of the pool, neck muscles relaxedR2: Focus on reaching forward at full extension before starting each strokeR3: Focus on quieting your legs and letting them draft behind your torso

WARMUP (300)300 Easy FreeRotate focal points every 100. First 100 Head suported by water pressure (feel the pressure on your face), 2nd 100 Extending Arm feels weightless in front of you. 3rd 100 Begin catch slowly so as not to disturb the water behind your hand. May repeat once if desired

DRILL SET (200/500)SKATING TO SWEET SPOT (100-200)Notes:4-8 x 25 as:Skating to Sweet Spot Breath.Take your time in each position. Althenate Right side lead with left side lead

Warm up well. Get your heart rate up to within 10-15 beats of your average race HR over a period of at least 15-20 minutes, or until you are breathing heavily and could no longer hold a conversation.Field Test (20 min): Begin a 20 minute time trial on flat course/track. Start your HR monitor 'lap' button at the start of this time trial. (If you have a downloadable HR monitory, you can just review the file at the end).You should finish feeling like you gave this everything and could not have gone any harder. Beware of starting out too hard or you will lose steam partway into the test.Note your average HR for the 20 minute effort as well as your speed/distance/wattage for the 20 minute test in your logs.95% of your avg HR will be used for your threshold HR to calculate training zones.

Sample Day 3

0:30:00

E1 Base Building Run

Endurance Runs are all done at a "conversational" pace, or Zone 2 heart rate or Pace. They are intended to be done continuously without stopping or with short walking breaks.

These runs increase the ability of your muscles to use oxygen and fat for fuel by increasing the mitochondria, building capillaries and increasing the size of your slow twitch muscles.

Sample Day 4

0:45:00

LT Biking Threshold 4 x 5'

Threshold rides are done in Zone 4 based on HR, Effort or Power. In theory you should be able to ride in Zone 4 for an hour at an effort level described as “hard”.

Doing Threshold workouts at shorter intervals allows for some mental breaking-in of the effort involved. If you are new and basing your zones off of a 20 minute field test, these will feel challenging even at shorter intervals.

Warmup: 15 minutes as:5 minutes easy spin, zone 1 HR5 minutes increasing effort each minute to get heart rate close to threshold3 x 30 second spin-up to high cadence at moderately hard effort, not a sprint, with 30 second recovery in between2 minutes easy recovery.

If needed use another 3-5 minutes to spin easy before main set.

Main Set: LT 4 x 5’ (1’) This is four 5 minute intervals in Zone 4 with 1 minute rest in between.

Remainder of duration Zone 2 riding.

Sample Day 4

1:00:00

1920m

Swim Assessment 1

S1 Initial Assessment (2100)Purpose:Perform an initial assessment of pacing and consistency.Tuneup: 300 + 200 + 100• Easy Freestyle. Loosen up your muscles and getting used to water temperature. Use this tuneup to relax into the water and feel buoyancy all along your body from face to chest to hips to legs. Note any areas of your body where aware of firm support.Initial Assessment Set: 1000-1500Goal: Evenly paced 1000 yard set while keeping SPL consistent.

• 100 + 200 + 300 + 400 yds. Rest 30” between each.

• Count Strokes & Time Each repeat.

During several lengths of each repeat, noting your average SPL for each repeat. If using a swim watch (Garmin, Swim Sense) allow the watch to record your time but count your strokes on your own, as it will be more precise.

Sample Day 5

1:15:00

E1 Bike Endurance Ride 1:15

Endurance ride in Zone 2, Conversational pace for the duration specified. May allow effort to climb going uphill, but try to keep effort in Zone 2 and shift to an easier gear to keep cadence higher if needed.

Suzanne Atkinson

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Steel City Endurance, LTD

Coaching philosophy: "We are capable of more than we think we are."

Working with Outward Bound Wilderness taught me that we can push ourselves far beyond our preconceived physical and emotional limits. Suzanne excels at both technical instruction in swim, run & cycling skills as well as exercise science & evidence based periodized training for maximum performance.

Steel City Endurance also has 4 associate coaches whom Suzanne has personally mentored who can help you meet your training goal